Methods and apparatus for large scale distribution of electronic access clients

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatus for large scale distribution of electronic access control clients. In one aspect, a tiered security software protocol is disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, a server electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) and client eUICC software comprise a so-called “stack” of software layers. Each software layer is responsible for a set of hierarchical functions which are negotiated with its corresponding peer software layer. The tiered security software protocol is configured for large scale distribution of electronic Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIMs)

PRIORITY AND RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application Claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/598,819 filed Feb. 14, 2012 and entitled “METHODS ANDAPPARATUS FOR LARGE SCALE DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRONIC ACCESS CLIENTS”,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

This application is related to co-owned, co-pending U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. Nos. 61/479,319 filed on Apr. 26, 2011, andentitled “ELECTRONIC ACCESS CLIENT DISTRIBUTION APPARATUS AND METHODS”,61/483,582 filed on May 6, 2011, and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FORPROVIDING MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES FOR ACCESS CONTROL CLIENTS”, andco-owned, co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial Nos. 13/095,716filed on Apr. 27, 2011, and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FORDISTRIBUTING AND STORING ELECTRONIC ACCESS CLIENTS”, Ser. No. 13/080,558filed on Apr. 5, 2011, and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FORCONTROLLING DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRONIC ACCESS CLIENTS”, Ser. No.12/952,082 filed on Nov. 22, 2010 and entitled “WIRELESS NETWORKAUTHENTICATION APPARATUS AND METHODS”, 12/952,089 filed on Nov. 22, 2010and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PROVISIONING SUBSCRIBER IDENTITYDATA IN A WIRELESS NETWORK”, Ser. 13/183,023 filed on Jul. 14, 2011 andentitled “VIRTUAL SUBSCRIBER IDENTITY MODULE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM”, andSer. 12/353,227 filed on Jan. 13, 2009, and entitled “POSTPONED CARRIERCONFIGURATION”, 13/093,722 filed on Apr. 25, 2011, and entitled“APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR STORING ELECTRONIC ACCESS CLIENTS”, Ser.13/109,851 filed on May 17, 2011 and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FORACCESS CONTROL CLIENT ASSISTED ROAMING”, Ser. No. 13/079,614 filed onApr. 4, 2011 and entitled “MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS FOR MULTIPLE ACCESSCONTROL ENTITIES”, Ser. No. 13/111,801 filed on May 19, 2011 andentitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING ELECTRONIC IDENTIFICATIONCOMPONENTS OVER A WIRELESS NETWORK”, 13/080,521 filed on Apr. 5, 2011and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR STORAGE AND EXECUTION OF ACCESSCONTROL CLIENTS”, Ser. No. 13/078,811 filed on Apr. 1, 2011 and entitled“ACCESS DATA PROVISIONING APPARATUS AND METHODS”, Ser. No. 13/287,874filed on Nov. 2, 2011 and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ACCESSDATA RECOVERY FROM A MALFUNCTIONING DEVICE”, Ser. No. 13/080,533 filedon Apr. 5, 2011 and entitled “SIMULACRUM OF PHYSICAL SECURITY DEVICE ANDMETHODS”, and Ser. No. 13/294,631 filed on Nov. 11, 2011 and entitled“APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR RECORDATION OF DEVICE HISTORY ACROSS MULTIPLESOFTWARE EMULATION”, each of the foregoing being incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

1. Technological Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wirelesscommunication and data networks. More particularly, the invention isdirected to, inter alia, methods and apparatus for large scaledistribution of electronic access control clients.

2. Description of Related Art

Access control is required for secure communication in most prior artwireless radio communication systems. As an example, one simple accesscontrol scheme might comprise: (i) verifying the identity of acommunicating party, and (ii) granting a level of access commensuratewith the verified identity. Within the context of an exemplary cellularsystem (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)), accesscontrol is governed by an access control client, referred to as aUniversal Subscriber

Identity Module (USIM) executing on a physical Universal IntegratedCircuit Card (UICC) (also referred to as a “SIM card”). The USIM accesscontrol client authenticates the subscriber to the UMTS cellularnetwork. After successful authentication, the subscriber is allowedaccess to the cellular network. As used hereinafter, the term “accesscontrol client” refers generally to a logical entity, either embodiedwithin hardware or software, suited for controlling access of a firstdevice to a network. Common examples of access control clients includethe aforementioned USIM, CDMA Subscriber Identification Modules (CSIM),IP Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), Subscriber IdentityModules (SIM), Removable User Identity Modules (RUIM), etc.

Prior SIM card based approaches suffer from a number of disabilities.For instance, traditional UICCs support only a single USIM (or moregenerally “SIM”) access control client. If a user wants to authenticateto a cellular network using a different SIM, the user must physicallyexchange the SIM card in the device with a different SIM card. Somedevices have been designed to house two SIM cards at the same time(Dual-SIM phones); however, such Dual-SIM phones do not address thefundamental physical limitations of SIM card devices. For example,information stored within one SIM card cannot be easily consolidatedwith information stored within another SIM card. Existing Dual-SIMdevices cannot access the contents of both SIM cards simultaneously.

Moreover, accessing a SIM card requires a perceptible amount of time forthe user; switching between SIM cards to transfer information isundesirable, and is present in both traditional and Dual-SIM devices.

Additionally, existing SIM card issuers and activation entities aregenerally network-specific, and not ubiquitous for different users indifferent networks. Specifically, a given user within a given networkmust activate their phone or obtain replacement SIM cards from a veryspecific entity authorized to issue the SIM. This can greatly restrict auser's ability to rapidly obtain a valid access privilege, such as whenroaming across other networks, replacing their phone, etc.

More recently, electronic SIMs (so-called eSIMs) have been developed,such as by the Assignee hereof. These electronic SIMs provide enhancedflexibility in terms of changeout with another eSIM, transfer to anotherdevice, etc. However, existing network infrastructure for distributionand activation of SIMs has not kept pace with these advances, and hence

Accordingly, new solutions and infrastructure are needed to leverage theenhanced flexibility provided by electronic access clients (e.g.,eSIMs), and to support secure and ubiquitous distribution thereof.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides, inter alia, for large scaledistribution of electronic access control clients.

Firstly, a method for large scale distribution of electronic accesscontrol clients is disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the methodincludes: establishing ownership of one or more electronic accesscontrol clients; determining if one or more electronic access controlclients have not been previously duplicated; encrypting the one or moreelectronic access control clients for transfer to a second device; andexchanging the encrypted one or more electronic access control clients.

An apparatus for large scale distribution of electronic access controlclients is also disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the apparatusincludes: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable mediumthat includes instructions which when executed by the processor:establish ownership of one or more electronic access control clients;determine if one or more electronic access control clients have not beenpreviously duplicated; encrypt the one or more electronic access controlclients for transfer to a second device; and exchange the encrypted oneor more electronic access control clients.

A mobile device for transacting an electronic access control client isfurther disclosed. In one embodiment, the device includes: a wirelessinterface configured to communicate with a wireless network; a processorin data communication with the interface; and a secure element in datacommunication with the interface. In one variant, the secure elementincludes: a secure processor; secure storage in data communication withthe secure processor and having a plurality of access control clientsuseful for authentication with at least the network stored thereon; andlogic in data communication with the secure processor, the logicconfigured to store, access, and transfer to or from the apparatus theplurality of access control clients; and user interface logic incommunication with at least the secure element and configured to enablea user of the apparatus to select one of the stored plurality accesscontrol clients, and authenticate the apparatus to the network so as toenable communication therewith.

A wireless system is also disclosed.

Additionally, a computer readable apparatus is disclosed. In oneembodiment, the apparatus includes a storage medium having a computerprogram disposed thereon, the program configured to, when executed:distribute electronic access control clients.

Additionally, a network architecture for providing wireless mobiledevices with electronic access clients is disclosed. In one embodiment,the architecture includes: a plurality of brokers; and a plurality ofmanufacturers in data communication with the plurality of brokers. Inone variant, a given user mobile device may be serviced by multiple onesof the brokers; and any one of the brokers may order electronic accessclients from one or more of the manufacturers.

Apparatus for providing electronic access clients to one or more mobiledevices, is also disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes:at least one processor: and first logic in data communication with theat least one processor, the first logic configured to cause theapparatus to perform encryption and decryption of an access client;second logic in data communication with the at least one processor, thesecond logic configured to cause the apparatus to ensure that the accessclient is not duplicated; and third logic in data communication with theat least one processor, the third logic configured to cause theapparatus to establish at least one of trust, ownership, and/orverification of a user of the access client.

An electronic access control client revocation procedure is furtherdisclosed. In one embodiment, the procedure includes: determining if asigning certificate authority that issued a certificate is compromised,the certificate associated with one or more devices storing thecertificate; determining at the one or more devices a certificateservice request created when an initial request for the certificate wascreated; requesting a new certificate using the determined certificateservice request; and issuing a new certificate based on the requesting.In one variant, the one or more devices can use a previous used privatekey as part of the requesting, and the new certificate is issuedcontaining a previous public key corresponding to the previous privatekey.

Other features and advantages will immediately be recognized by personsof ordinary skill in the art with reference to the attached drawings anddetailed description of exemplary embodiments as given below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a logical block diagram of one exemplary electronic UniversalIntegrated Circuit Card (eUICC) useful in conjunction with variousaspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a logical block diagram ofone exemplary electronic Subscriber Identity

Module (eSIM) directory structure useful in conjunction with variousaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a logical block diagram representing one exemplary statemachine for Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Dedicated Files (SDF)useful in conjunction with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a logical block diagram representing one exemplary statemachine for eSIM operation useful in conjunction with various aspects ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of one exemplary eSIM brokernetwork useful with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a logical block diagram of one exemplary tiered securityprotocol useful with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of one exemplary data structurecomprising three (3) pieces, useful in conjunction with various aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of one exemplary OEM certificatehierarchy, useful in conjunction with various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 is a logical flow diagram illustrating one exemplary logicalsequence for delivering an eSIM to a device without personalization.

FIG. 10 is a logical flow diagram illustrating one exemplary logicalsequence for delivering an eSIM to a device with pre-personalization.

FIG. 11 is a logical flow diagram illustrating one exemplary logicalsequence for delivering a batch of eSIMs to a device.

FIG. 12 is a logical representation of an electronic UniversalIntegrated Circuit Card (eUICC) apparatus.

FIG. 13 is a logical representation of an electronic SubscriberIdentification Module (eSIM) depot apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a logical flow diagram illustrating one exemplary userapparatus.

FIG. 15 is a logical flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of amethod for large scale distribution of electronic access controlclients.

All Figures Copyright 2012 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer tolike parts throughout.

Description of Exemplary Embodiments

Exemplary embodiments and aspects of the present disclosure are nowdescribed in detail. While these embodiments and aspects are primarilydiscussed in the context of Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) of a GSM,GPRS/EDGE, or UMTS cellular network, it will be recognized by those ofordinary skill that the present disclosure is not so limited. In fact,the various features of the disclosure are useful in any network(whether wireless cellular or otherwise) that can benefit from storingand distributing access control clients to devices.

As used herein, the terms “client” and “UE” include, but are not limitedto wireless-enabled cellular telephones, smartphones (such as forexample an iPhonirm), wireless enabled personal computers (PCs), mobiledevices such as handheld computers, PDAs, personal media devices (PMDs),wireless tablets (such as for example an iPad™), so-called “phablets”,or any combinations of the foregoing.

As used hereinafter, the term “Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)”,“electronic SIM (eSIM)”, “profile”, and “access control client” refergenerally to a logical entity, either embodied within hardware orsoftware, suited for controlling access of a first device to a network.Common examples of access control clients include the aforementionedUSIM, CDMA Subscriber Identification Modules (CSIM), IP MultimediaServices Identity Module (ISIM), Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM),Removable User Identity Modules (RUIM), etc., or any combinations of theforegoing. It will also be recognized that while the term “subscriberidentity module” is used herein (e.g., eSIM), this term in no waynecessarily connotes or requires either (i) use by a subscriber per se(i.e., the various features of the disclosure may be practiced by asubscriber or non-subscriber); (ii) identity of a single individual(i.e., the various features of the disclosure may be practiced on behalfof a group of individuals such as a family, or intangible or fictitiousentity such as an enterprise); or (iii) any tangible “module” equipmentor hardware.

Exemplary eUICC and eSIM Operation

Various features and functions of the present disclosure are nowdiscussed with respect to one exemplary implementation. In the contextof the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, instead of usinga physical UICC as in the prior art, the UICC is emulated as a virtualor electronic entity such as e.g., a software application, hereafterreferred to as an Electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC),that is contained within a secure element (e.g., secure microprocessoror storage device) in the UE. The eUICC is capable of storing andmanaging multiple SIM elements, referred hereafter as

Electronic Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIM). Each eSIM is a softwareemulation of a typical USIM, and contains analogous programming and userdata associated therewith. The eUICC selects an eSIM based upon theeSIM's ICC-ID. Once the eUICC selects the desired eSIM(s), the UE caninitiate an authentication procedure to obtain wireless network servicesfrom the eSIM's corresponding network operator.

eUICC Software Architecture

Referring now to FIG. 1 one exemplary electronic Universal IntegratedCircuit Card (eUICC) useful in conjunction with the present disclosureis shown. Examples of an exemplary eUICC are described within co-owned,co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/093,722 filed on Apr. 25,2011, and entitled “APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR STORING ELECTRONIC ACCESSCLIENTS”, previously incorporated by reference in its entirety, althoughit will be appreciated that other may be used consistent with thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates one exemplary Java Card™ eUICC architecture. Otherexamples of Operating Systems (OS) for use on smart card applicationsinclude (without limitation) MULTOS and proprietary OSs, Java Card beingmerely illustrative. The OS provides an interface between applicationsoftware and hardware. Generally, the OS includes services andfunctionality configured for: Input Output (I/O), Random Access Memory(RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), non-volatile memory (NV) (EEPROM, flash),etc. The OS may also provide cryptographic services used by higherlayers, memory and file management, and communication protocols.

The exemplary Java implementation is composed of three pieces: a JavaCard Virtual Machine (JCVM) (a byte code interpreter); Java Card runtime environment (JCRE) (which manages card resources, applet executionand other runtime features); and Java Application Programming Interfaces(APIs) (a set of customized classes for programming smart cardapplications).

The JCVM has an on-card component (the byte code interpreter), and anoff-card counterpart (the converter). Some compilation tasks may beperformed by the converter due to card resource restrictions. Initially,the Java compiler creates class files from source code. The converterpreprocesses the class files and creates a CAP file. The converterverifies that the load images of the java classes are well formed,checks for Java card language subset violations, and also performs someother tasks. A CAP file contains an executable binary representation ofthe classes in a Java package. The converter also generates exportfiles, which contain public API information. Only the CAP file is loadedinto the card. Another commonly used format is IJC, which can beconverted from CAP files. IJC files may be slightly smaller in sizecompared to CAP files.

Typically, downloading an applet to a card requires an ApplicationProtocol Data Unit (APDU) exchange to load the content of the CAP fileinto the persistent memory of the card. The on card installer would alsolink the classes in the CAP file with other classes on the card.Thereafter the installation process creates an instance of the appletand registers the instance with the JCRE. Applets are held in asuspended state until selected.

The foregoing procedure may additionally implement one or more layers ofsecurity. In one exemplary embodiment, a Global Platform (GP) provides asecure protocol to manage applications. The GP operates within a secureissuer security domain, which is an on-card representation of the cardissuer. The card may also execute other security domains for e.g.,application providers.

In one exemplary embodiment, the eUICC is a non-removable component of adevice. During operation, the eUICC executes a secure bootstrap OS. Thebootstrap OS ensures that the eUICC is secure, and manages execution ofthe security protocols therein. Examples of a secure bootstrap OS aredescribed within co-owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/080,521 filed on Apr. 5, 2011 and entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FORSTORAGE AND EXECUTION OF ACCESS CONTROL CLIENTS”, previouslyincorporated by reference in its entirety. It is further appreciatedthat different Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) may customize eSIMs tosupport various degrees of service differentiation. Common examples ofcustomization include, without limitation, proprietary file structuresand/or software applications. Due to the configurability of eSIMs, eSIMscan vary significantly in size.

Unlike prior art SIM cards, eSIMs can be freely exchanged betweendevices according to a secure transaction. Subscribers do not require a“physical card” to move SIMs among devices; however, the actualtransaction of eSIMs must be securely protected e.g., via specificsecurity protocols. In one exemplary embodiment, an eSIM is encryptedfor a specific receiver before being delivered. In some variants, inaddition to the encrypted content, each eSIM may include a meta-datasection that is plaintext. A cryptographic signature may further be usedto ensure integrity of the plain text content. This meta-data sectionmay be freely provided (even to unsecure entities), to assist innon-secure storage, etc.

eSIM Software Architecture

Referring now to FIG. 2, one exemplary electronic Subscriber IdentityModule (eSIM) directory structure, embodied within the exemplary eUICC,is disclosed. As shown, the eSIM directory structure has been modifiedto support the flexibility offered by eSIMs. For example, the eSIMdirectory structure include inter glia: (i) EFeSimDir which contains alist of eSIMs installed; (ii) EFcsn which contains the card serialnumber that globally uniquely identifies the eUICC; (iii) DFsecuritystores security related data and the private key corresponding to one ormore eUICC certificates. In one such variant, the DFsecurity informationincludes: (i) DFepcf which contains eUICC platform level PCF; (ii)EFoemcert which contains the root certificate and common name of the OEM(OEM credential can be used for special operations such as factoryrefurbishment); (iii) EfeUICCcert which is the certificate of the eUICC;(iv) EFsL1cert which is the root certificate of server Li appliances;(v) EFsL2cert which is the root certificate of server L2 appliances; and(vi) EFsL3cert which is the root certificate of server L3 appliances.

In one exemplary embodiment, the directory structure further includesSIM Dedicated Files (SDF) which contain file structures that arespecific to an eSIM. Each SDF is located directly under the MF. Each SDFhas a name attribute and a SID (eSIM ID), such as the Integrated CircuitCard Identifier (ICCID). As shown, each SDF further contains DFprofilesand DFcodes. Furthermore, in one variant, all profile PCF related EFsare stored under DFppef, which is stored under DFprofile.

In one exemplary embodiment, DFprofile information includes: (i) EFnamewhich is a description of the eSIM (such as name and version of theeSIM); (ii) EFtype which describes the type of the eSIM (e.g., regular,bootstrap, and test). Software applications may use this information toe.g., display an icon when a bootstrap eSIM is in use; (iii) EFsys_verwhich is the minimum version number of the eUICC software to necessaryto support the eSIM; (iv) EFnv_min which indicates the minimum amount ofnon volatile memory required by the eSIM; (v) EFram_min which indicatesthe minimum amount of volatile memory required; (vi) EFnv_rsvd whichindicates the amount of non volatile memory reserved for over the airtransactions (OTA); and (vii) EFram_rsvd which indicates the amount ofvolatile memory reserved for OTA.

In one exemplary embodiment, DFcode information contains a set of keysfor each eSIM. These values cannot be read out of eUICC under mostcircumstances. One exceptional use case is the export operation whichcryptographically wraps and exports the entire eSIM. Since the entireeSIM is encrypted, the values of keys remain secured. In one exemplaryembodiment, the DFcode information comprises: (i) ExEFgPinx/gPukx whichcontains a global PIN (Personal Identification Number) and PUK (PINUnlock Key); (ii) EFuPin/uPuk contains the universal PIN and PUK; (iii)EFadminx contains ADMIN codes; and (iv) EFotax which contains OTA codes.In some variants, there may also be an ADFusim which contains additionalelements such as: (i) EFk which stores K, the 128-bit sharedauthentication key; (ii) EFopc which stores OPc, which is derived fromthe subscriber key and operator variant algorithm configuration field OP(some variants may store OP instead of ON); (iii) EFauthpar whichspecifies the length of RES; (iv) EFalgid which specifies the networkauthentication algorithm (for example, Milenage); (v) EFsqn which storesSQN; and (vi) EFlpinx/lpukx which stores the PIN and PUK code for thelocal PIN.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill reading thisdisclosure that the foregoing files, structures, or elements are merelyexemplary, and may be substituted with others possessing the desiredfunctionality or structure.

Referring now to FIG. 3, one exemplary state machine for SDF operationis illustrated. As shown, the SDF state machine comprises the followingstates: CREATION, INITIALISATION, OPERATIONAL (ACTIVATED), OPERATIONAL(DEACTIVATED), and TERMINATION.

When an eSIM is first installed, the SDF is created (CREATION) and theninitialized (INITIALISATION) with the file structure data included inthe eSIM. Once the eSIM has been installed, the SDF transitions to theDEACTIVATED state. During the deactivated state, none of the files areavailable. Once an eSIM is selected, the SDF transitions from theDEACTIVATED state to the ACTIVATED state; the ACTIVATED state enablesaccess to the files of the SDF. When an eSIM is deselected (eitherimplicitly or explicitly) the SDF transitions from the ACTIVATED stateback to the DEACTIVATED state.

Referring now to FIG. 4 one exemplary state machine for eSIM operationis illustrated. As shown, the eSIM state machine comprises the followingstates: INSTALLED, SELECTED, LOCKED, DEACTIVATED, EXPORTED, and DELETED.

During eSIM installation (INSTALLED), an entry for the eSIM is createdin the eUICC registry; the entry indicates one or more associated SDFand applications. During the INSTALLED state, the SDF are set to theDEACTIVATED state and applications are set to an INSTALLED state.

Once the eSIM is selected, the eSIM transitions to the SELECTED state.During the selected state, the SDFs transition to the ACTIVATED stateand the applications are transitioned to a SELECTABLE state. If an eSIMis deselected, the eSIM transitions back to the INSTALLED state.

Under certain circumstances, the eSIM may enter a LOCKED state. Forexample, if the eUICC PCF is changed such that an installed eSIM may nolonger be used, then the eSIM will transition to the LOCKED state. Inthe LOCKED state, the SDF are set to the DEACTIVATED state andapplications are set to the LOCKED state. Other miscellaneous statesinclude, the EXPORTED state (i.e., where the eSIM is exported and may nolonger be selected), and the DELETED state (i.e., where the eSIM isdeleted).

Network Authentication Algorithms

Network Authentication Algorithms (NAA) are generally mandatory foroperation with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). While differentimplementations of NAA exist, the functionality is not substantiallydifferent. In certain embodiments, the eUICC may include common packagesfor NAAs. During eSIM installation, an instance of each NAA app can becreated for each eSIM from the pre-loaded packages, to reduce overallloading time of eSIM, and unnecessary memory consumption on eUICC.

Common examples of NAA include without limitation: Milenage, COMP128 V1,COMP128 V2, COMP128 V3, and COMP128 V4, and certain proprietaryalgorithms. There are a larger number of proprietary algorithms still inuse (due to known attacks on COMP128 V1). In one embodiment, networkauthentication is based on the well known Authentication and KeyAgreement (AKA) protocol.

In the unlikely event that a NAA is compromised, replacement NAA schemesmay require a software update. During such an event, eSIMs may bepatched with a replacement algorithm via e.g., a secure software update.Thereafter, the MNO may enable the replacement algorithm via an existingOTA mechanism.

Exemplary eSIM Broker Network

FIG. 5 shows a high level view of one exemplary eSIM broker networkuseful with various embodiments of the present disclosure. In oneexemplary embodiment, the broker network comprises a distributed networkof brokers and manufacturers, such that a device may be serviced bymultiple brokers, and a broker may order eSIMs from multiple eSIMmanufacturers. In some embodiments, there may exist eUICC and/or eSIMprofile policies that limit the group of brokers that a device maycommunicate with for certain eSIM operations. For example, a MNO mayrequire devices that are subsidized by the MNO only communicates withbrokers owned by the MNO.

In one such variant, the primary broker provides discovery services todevices, such that the device can identify an appropriate broker.Thereafter, the device can communicate directly with the identifiedbroker for eSIM operations (e.g., such as purchase, installation,export, and import).

Those of ordinary skill in the related network arts will recognize thatmultiple practical issues arise during the operation of large scaledistribution networks, such as that represented by FIG. 5. Specifically,large scale distribution networks must be scalable to handle largebursts of provisioning traffic (such as can occur on a so-called “launchday” of a given mobile user device). One suggested scheme for reducingoverall network traffic entails pre-personalizing eSIMs (where possible)prior to launch day. For example so-called “SIM-in” units are alreadyassigned an eSIM at shipment; this pre-assigned eSIM can bepre-personalized for the unit by, for example, encrypting thecorresponding eSIM profile with a key specific to the eUICC of the unit.

Other considerations include system reliability, for example, the brokernetwork must be able to recover from various equipment failures. Onesolution is geographic redundancy where multiple data centers acrossdifferent locations have duplicate content;

however, the network of data centers may actively synchronize with eachother to avoid eSIM cloning. Such network synchronization would requireextraordinary amounts of network bandwidth. In alternate solutions, eachdata center may have a separate set of eSIMs; however this requires ansignificant eSIM overhead.

Ideally, the brokering network can flexibly adapt to various businessmodels. Specifically, for various legal and antitrust reasons, variouscomponents of the foregoing broker network may be handled by differentparties. Accordingly, security aspects of eSIM traffic needs to becarefully monitored and evaluated. Each eSIM contains valuable user andMNO information. For example, an eSIM may include the sharedauthentication key (K for USIM and Ki for SIM), which if compromisedcould be used for SIM cloning. Similarly, eSIMs may also containapplications that may have sensitive user data such as bank accountinformation.

Moreover, it is further appreciated that eUICC software requires furthercountermeasures for device recovery. Unlike physical SIMs, if the eUICCsoftware goes into an unrecoverable state, the entire device will needto be replaced (which is much more costly than changing a SIM card).Accordingly, exemplary solutions should be able to handle devicerecovery so as to preclude such draconian measures.

Finally, the network operation should provide for a “good” userexperience. Excessive response times, unreliable operation, excessivesoftware crashes, etc. can significantly detract from the overall userexperience.

Exemplary Security Protocol

Accordingly, a tiered security software protocol is disclosed herein toaddress various of the foregoing issues. In one exemplary embodiment,the server eUICC and client eUICC software comprise a so-called “stack”of software layers. Each software layer is responsible for a set ofhierarchical functions which are negotiated with its corresponding peersoftware layer. Moreover, each software layer further communicates withits own layers. It is further appreciated that in some cases, the deviceapplication processor (AP) may be compromised (e.g., “jailbroken”,etc.); consequently, it is recognized that trust relationships existbetween the client eUICC and corresponding server eUICC (or other secureentity); i.e., the AP is not trusted.

In one exemplary embodiment, a three (3) tiered system is disclosed. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, the security software protocol comprises a Level1 (L1), Level 2 (L2), and Level 3 (L3). L1 security performs encryptionand decryption of eSIM Data. L1 operations are limited to secureexecution environments (e.g., an eUICC or Hardware Security Module(HSM)). Within L1, eSIM data can be stored in plain text (i.e.,unencrypted) within the logical L1 boundary; outside of the L1 boundarythe eSIM data is always securely encrypted. L2 security ensures that aneSIM cannot be duplicated. The L2 boundary ensures that one and only onecopy of an eSIM exists. Within the L2 boundary multiple copies mayexist. Moreover, L2 security may further embed a challenge into theencrypted eSIM payload; a recipient of the eSIM will compare thereceived challenge to the challenge stored earlier before installing theeSIM to ensure that its eSIM is not stale (i.e., is the current one andonly eSIM). L3 security is responsible for establishing trust,ownership, and verification of the user. For each eSIM, the eUICC maystore information to indicate ownership associated with the eSIM.

In one exemplary implementation, so-called “challenges” are a criticalresource used to associate a specific eSIM instance with an eUICC.Specifically, each eUICC maintains a certain number of challenges foreach profile agent, which is the logical entity that maintains L2security. By verifying that a challenge is valid, the eUICC can be surethat the eSIM is not a stale eSIM (i.e., an invalid duplicate). A numberof challenges are created for each eSIM to be personalized. The eUICCdeletes a challenge when a matching eSIM is received.

Consider the following pre-personalization scenario, an eUICC creates(or is given) a number of challenges which is provided to the network;the challenges are also saved in non volatile memory of the eUICC.Subsequently thereafter, the network can generate an eSIM for the eUICCwhich is bound to the pre-generated challenge. When the eUICC receivesan eSIM later during device activation, the eUICC can verify that thereceived eSIM contains the appropriate challenge.

However, one drawback of the foregoing scheme is that a fixed number ofchallenges can be easily compromised with a denial of service (DOS)attack. In a DOS attack, the eUICC is continuously triggered to generatechallenges until all of its challenge resources are exhausted.Accordingly, in one such variant, the eUICC additionally performs asession handshake to authenticate a profile server/agent beforeprocessing requests that would trigger eUICC to create a challenge.Additionally, in the unlikely case that resources are exhausted andeUICC is unable to create new challenges, the eUICC may store a separateset of reserved challenges specifically designated for freeing upanother set of challenges. In some cases, the eUICC may additionallyinclude an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) credential, which theOEM can use to further control challenge operation.

Referring now to FIG. 7, one exemplary data structure for an eSIM isillustrated.

As shown, the exemplary data structure comprises three (3) pieces, onefor each of the L1, L2, and L3 security levels. By decoupling securitycomponents into distinct levels, overall network operation can bedistributed over multiple entities according to a wide variety ofoptions. For example, various network entities may perform only one ortwo of the security layers (e.g., a eSIM vendor may only handle L2,etc.); this flexibility easily and advantageously accommodates virtuallyany business arrangement.

As shown in FIG. 7, because asymmetric encryption (i.e., where eachentity has a distinct and unique key) is much slower than symmetricoperation (where entities share a key), each eSIM profile component 702is encrypted with a symmetric key, and the symmetric key is encryptedwith the L1 public key of the destined eSIM receiver. The eSIM mayfurther includes a plain text section for metadata (such as a textstring of the ICCID). The encrypted symmetric key, meta data, andencrypted eSIM content is hashed and signed with the public key of the“donating” L1 entity. The associated. LI certificate is appended, e.g.,at the end, for verification.

The batch descriptor component 704 of FIG. 7 contains L2 information forthe eSIM. It has a plain text section including a Globally UniqueIdentifier (GUID), a challenge for the destined eSIM receiver, a uniqueID of the eSIM receiver, a URL to retrieve the profile, and the URL topost an installation result to. The batch descriptor also includes aplain text section of an array of elements that consist of: an ICCID foreach profile, and a hashed portion of the profile (the metadata sectionand the encrypted eSIM content). In one embodiment, the hash does notinclude the symmetric key, such that a batch descriptor can be createdwithout waiting for an actual profile to be generated. For device sideoperation, a batch descriptor only contains one ICCID and profile hash.For server to server batching transfer, a much larger array is expected.The data content of the batch descriptor is hashed and signed with a L2public key, and an associated L2 certificate is appended at the end.

The L3 owner component 706 contains L3 information for the eSIM. Theprincipal field identifies the user account associated with the eSIM(e.g., abc@me.com), the service name identifies the service provider toauthenticate the user account with. The hash of batch descriptor isincluded to associate the L2 and L3 data structures. The data may bestored in plain text, hashed and signed with L3 public key. The L3certificate is appended at the end.

As used herein, there are three (3) types of certificates: eUICCcertificates, server appliance certificates, and OEM certificates. Inone embodiment, a trusted third party issues certificates for certifiedeUICCs. Each eUICC contains a private key and an associated certificate,issued by this entity or a subordinate key authority of this entity. Insome embodiments, one trusted third party may issue certificates forcertified L1, L2, and L3 appliances; or alternately, separate thirdparty entities may issue certificates for L1, L2, or L3 appliances.Where multiple third parties exist, the eUICC has preloaded (or may beprovided OTA from a trusted entity) the root Certificate Authority (CA)of the third parties, and can verify messages received from the serverappliances based on the appropriate CA.

Referring now to FIG. 8, one exemplary OEM certificate hierarchy isillustrated. The Root Certificate Authority (CA) has a set ofintermediate CAs that perform a subset of tasks (e.g., issuing e.g., iOSor comparable device certificates). As shown, an eUICC CA is chargedwith eSIM specific operations. The eUICC CA may issue certificates for aset of servers; as shown the certificates include e.g., factoryrefurbishing servers for eUICC maintenance, and activation servers forsigning eUICC PCF. The Root CA together with the common name of theeUICC CA are used by the client eUICC to verify the OEM signed messages.

In accordance with the foregoing, in one exemplary embodiment, eachclient eUICC stores the following security related data: (i) eUICCcertificate that is used for eUICC L1, L2, and L3 operations (each eUICCstores a certificate that is used for both L1, L2, and L3 securityrelated operations); (ii) an eUICC private key that is associated withthe eUICC certificate; (iii) OEM credentials that include the rootcertificate of OEMs and the common name of the OEM eUICC CA; (iv) androot certificates of third parties that can certify server appliances.In some variants, certificates in the eUICC may need to be replaced if asigning CA is compromised; for example, if an eUICC CA or server CA iscompromised (e.g., a private key has been compromised/lost), two (2)revocation procedures are described below.

According to a first exemplary revocation procedure, if a signing CAthat issues eUICC certificates is compromised, the eUICC certificatestored in affected eUICCs should be replaced. Specifically, when theinitial certificate request was created for the eUICC, the CertificateSigning Request (CSR) was saved. If the signing CA is compromised, a newcertificate can be requested for the eUICC, using the initial CSR. Bykeeping the same CSR, the eUICC can use the same private key, and a newcertificate will be issued containing the same eUICC public key. The OEMcan sign the new certificate with the OEM's private key. When the eUICCsends requests to a server broker, the broker can check a revocationlist of bad eUICC CAs and reject the request with a specific error toindicate that the certificate needs to be replaced. The AP can retrievethe new eUICC certificate via existing OEM services and send the newcertificate to eUICC (the AP does not have to be trusted in thisscenario).

Thereafter, the eUICC verifies the OEM signature and ensures that thereceived public key matches its previously stored public key in theeUICC. In some variants, in order to prevent denial of service (DOS)attacks or replay attacks, the eUICC additionally includes eUICCcertificates. The epoch is in one variant increased when a newcertificate is issued. The eUICC can verify that the eUICC epoch in thereceived certificate is higher than that of the current certificate,before storing the new certificate. Unfortunately, revoking servercertificates in eUICC can be challenging due to various eUICC resourceconstraints; i.e., processing a large revocation list may be untenablefor an eUICC. To avoid maintaining revocation lists, in a secondrevocation scheme, each server certificate is additionally associatedwith an epoch. If a CA is compromised, the root CA reissues certificatesfor all legitimate entities, and increases the epoch of each newcertificate. Since the number of server certificates will not be large,reissuing certificates can be handled in existing systems. At the clienteUICC, the eUICC saves the expected epoch of server L1, L2, and L3certificates in non-volatile memory. When a received certificatecontains a higher epoch, eUICC must update the corresponding NV epochand reject any future certificates with a lower epoch; i.e., the eUICCwill reject rogue servers that have not been signed since the CA wascompromised. In some variants, the server may also maintain an eUICCblacklist for compromised eUICCs. Requests from blacklisted eUICC are inone embodiment rejected by the server.

Policy Control Functions

Within the context of the foregoing security solution, there are two (2)levels of Policy Control Functions (PCF): (i) eUICC platform level, and(ii) profile level. In one exemplary embodiment, the eUICC PCF may onlybe updated by OEM, whereas the Profile PCF is controlled by MNOs and isa part of the eSIM. In one such variant, when an eSIM is exported and/orimported, the profile PCF is included as a part of the export/importpackage.

Referring now to the eUICC PCF, the eUICC PCF may include; (i) a SIMlock policy that specifies the types of eSIMs that the eUICC mayactivate; (ii) a secret code that can be used to authorize deletion ofall eSIMs in an eUICC; (iii) a list of common names of server (L1, L2,and L3) that specify a cluster of server appliances that the eUICC maycommunicate with (e.g., based on business considerations or methods)(i.e., an inclusive listing); (iv) a list of common names of server (L1,L2, and L3) that specify a cluster of server appliances that the eUICCmay not communicate with (i.e., an exclusive listing).

Similarly, the profile PCF may include: (i) a list of common names ofservers (L1, L2, and L3) that specify a cluster of depots that the eUICCmay export the eSIM to (inclusive); (ii) a list of common names ofservers (L1, L2, and L3) that specify a cluster of depots that the eUICCmay NOT export the eSIM to (exclusive); (iii) notification URLs andoperation types which specify URLs that are sent notifications uponcompletion of a specified eSIM operation; (iv) auto-expirationparameters where the AP may delete the eSIM once profile has expired;(v) classes of server appliances (L1, L2, and L3) that may be assigneddifferent classes indicating the security levels implemented (a profilemay choose to only communicate with server components above certainlevels); (vi) an epoch of server certificates (L1, L2 and L3) which arechecked during installation (e.g., the eUICC only installs profiles ifthe epoch of eUICC server certificates are equal to or above thespecified epoch); (vii) L3 service names that L3 authentication may use,and/or a list of service names that L3 authentication cannot use; (viii)a minimum version of eUICC system (where the eSIM may only be installedon eUICC systems above the specified the minimum version); (ix) aminimum RAM size required for the eSIM (not including OTA operations);(x) a minimum RAM size reserved for OTA; (xi) a minimum non-volatile(NV) a memory size required for the eSIM (excluding the space served forOTA); (xii) a minimum NV size reserved for OTA

Example Operation

Within the context of the foregoing components (e.g., eUICC, eSIM,Broker Network, Security Protocol, etc.), the following exemplarymessaging sequences are disclosed. In the sequence diagrams hereinafter,three entities are presented: a broker, a profile agent, and a profilelocker, to represent the entities that are responsible for L3, L2, L1securities respectively. However, it is appreciated that these arelogical entities and different network topologies may be subsume orfurther differentiate the foregoing functions thereof,

The client eUICC is in the illustrated embodiment responsible for allthree levels of securities; however, for clarity, the client eUICC isseparated into three logical entities to capture functional requirementswithin the eUICC. Moreover, while there may be separate sets ofcredentials for L1, L2, and L3 within the client eUICC, it isappreciated that the same (i.e., one credential) may be used since theclient device is a single device.

eSIM Delivery, No Personalization

FIG. 9 illustrates one exemplary logical sequence for delivering an eSIMto a device without personalization. First, the device identifies theserver broker via discovery process (not shown). Once the deviceattempts to communicate with the server broker, there are three mainoperations: (i) the device queries the server backend about availableeSIM options; (ii) the device requests that the server personalizes aneSIM if the requested eSIM has not been pre-personalized; and (iii) thedevice downloads the actual eSIM and install it.

In the first stage, getProfileOptions is used by the device to query theserver backend about available eSIM options. The eUICC associated withthe device is identified by its Uniqueld, which for example can be thecard serial number. The broker utilizes sales information to determineone or more eSIM options available to the device.

For unlocked devices, there may be a very large set of available eSIMs;thus, in some embodiments, common options that are likely to be chosenby the user are displayed (e.g., based on location, cost, etc.). Theserver returns an array of profile providers (MNO) and profile types(e.g. prepaid/postpaid) that is valid for the device.

In some scenarios, the type of eSIMs available to the user may beconsidered private information, therefore in some variants thegetProfileOptions API further requires the device eUICC L3 to sign theunique identifier of the eUICC, and include the signed identifier in theAPI. The server broker (or broker server) can verify the signaturebefore processing the request. This prevents a malicious party fromretrieving users' profile options by sending the masqueraded requests.In some variants, the communication between the device broker and theserver broker uses a security protocol (e.g., transport layer security(TLS)) to prevent capture and replay attacks.

In one embodiment, a getProfileOptions contains two L3 tokens to verifythe current and new ownership of the eSIM. The current L3 token may be aunique identifier or so-called “faux card” scratch code. The new L3token can be information used to associate a user account with an eSIM,for example, a sign-on token for an iCloud account (e.g., where thedevice has logged into a user account to retrieve a token). Both L3tokens are signed by the eUICC L3. The server broker validates the L3tokens using an associated authentication service. For example, it maycommunicate with a network server (e.g., the Assignee's iCloud server)or a third party service to validate the sign-on token.

To optimize performance and avoid duplicate authentication, afterauthenticating the token passed by the device, the server brokergenerates a one time code (OTC) and pass the OTC back to the device. Thedevice can use the OTC as a proof that the server has already performedL3 authentication. The complete data binary large object (BLOB) mayinclude the generated OTC, unique device identifier (e.g. card serialnumber (CSN)), principal, service provider, and a timestamp to indicatevalidity of the OTC. The BLOB is hashed and signed by the broker. In onevariant, the hashing is performed with a symmetric key to improveoverall performance. If getProfileOptions returns an array of eSIMs, theuser is prompted to make a selection.

In the second stage, the device would call personalizeProfile to requestthe server backend to personalize an eSIM. Before the device sends thepersonalization request to the server, there is a session handshakebetween the eUICC profile agent and server profile agent forauthentication. The device broker and eUICC create a session, based onthe profile option that the user has chosen, and the current L3 code andnew L3 code sent by the server broker. The eUICC can save thisinformation to fill in the profile request sent subsequently thereafter.The eUICC profile agent generates a session id, which will be echoedback by the server agent for authentication subsequent thereto.

The device broker can now pass a session request generated by eUICC tothe server broker. The server broker can check the request. For example,the server broker determines if the requesting eUICC, represented byunique ID, is serviceable. Since the unique identifier is included inplaintext, the server broker can retrieve the information even though amore thorough verification of the request is performed by server profileagent.

If the request is appropriate, then the server broker passes the requestto the profile agent. The profile agent verifies the requestcryptographically, by verifying the eUICC L2 certificate and using theeUICC L2 public key to verify the L2 signature. Once verificationpasses, the server profile agent creates a SessionResponse, including aplaintext section containing: the received session identifier and uniqueidentifier, a L2 signature (generated by hashing the plain text sectionand signing the hash using server profile agent's private key), and theserver profile agent's certificate.

The session response is sent from server profile agent to the serverbroker, which then forwards the session response to the device broker.The device broker passes the response to the eUICC in aprepareProfileRequest message. The eUICC L2 verifies the sessionReponseby verifying the server profile agent's certificate and the L2signature.

The eUICC L2 also verifies that the session identifier and uniqueidentifier match the information in eUICC. Once verification passes, theeUICC creates a challenge for the personalized profile request. Thechallenge is committed to non-volatile memory. The eUICC then createsthe profile request BLOB, including L1, L2 and L3 related information.Detailed structures are listed in APPENDIX A hereto, incorporated byreference herein.

Thereafter, the profile request BLOB is sent to the server backend. Theserver broker performs L3 verification and includes L3 owner information(e.g. principal and service provider) to associate the eSIM with; theserver profile agent creates a batch descriptor, and the server profilelocker personalizes the eSIM for the eUICC. The personalized eSIM may bedistributed to a content delivery network (CDN) for performanceoptimization.

After the device broker receives the profile descriptor and associatedL3 owner information, it retrieves the associated profile via getProfileby providing the received GUID (Globally Unique Identifier).

Once the device broker has retrieved a profile descriptor and profile,it instructs the client eUICC to install the eSIM. The call flows showsthree separate calls, processL3Owner, processProfileDescriptor andinstallProfile, however it is appreciated that in actual implementation,these three logical calls can be combined within a single transaction.The eUICC performs L3, L2, and L1 verification; once verified, the eSIMis installed. The associated challenge is deleted. The L3 Ownerinformation is saved together with the eSIM to indicate properownership. L3 Owner information can be provided at a later point if theuser exports the eSIM.

Once the profile is installed, the eUICC returns the installationresults to the server. Server infrastructure can use the notification totrigger a purge of cached content in the content delivery network (CDN).In some cases, this information may also be used for notificationservices indicating e.g., successful installation, partial installation,unsuccessful installation, etc.

eSIM Delivery, Pre-personalization

FIG. 10 illustrates one exemplary logical sequence for delivering aneSIM to a device with pre-personalization. Similar to the scheme of FIG.9, delivering a pre-personalized eSIM requires three (3) stages.

Initially, during manufacture of the client device, a factory brokerinstructs the eUICC to create a challenge for eSIM pre-personalizationlater. However, unlike the scheme of FIG. 9, the device is not yetassociated with a MNO, or eSIM type; rather these fields are populatedwith a special value to indicate that a selection will be made later.The complete content of the profile request BLOB is saved forpersonalization use later.

The second stage is triggered automatically by e.g., shipmentnotification, device sale, etc. The L2 (client profile agent) in thedistribution center acts as a proxy for the client eUICC L2. While theeUICC profile request BLOB does not contain a MNO and eSIM type, theclient profile agent can regenerate the BLOB by replacing these fieldswith updated information. The client profile agent can create its ownchallenge and replace the eUICC challenge. The client profile agent willsign the content with its own private key (otherwise all L2 s wouldrequire unique challenges). The BLOB will contain the eUICC's L1signature, the eUICC still needs to decrypt the personalized eSIM. Thenew profile request BLOB is sent to the server broker using the existingpersonalizeProfile request. Hereinafter, the procedure is no differentthan the procedure of FIG. 9.

Moreover, it is further appreciated that even if a MNO would like tosupport its own brokering system, the disclosed pre-personalizationprocess can use the same interface. The server broker will return abatch descriptor to the client and personalize the eSIM. The clientprofile agent would create a new batch descriptor with the eUICC'schallenge, to be used when the eUICC requests the profile later.

Finally, in the last stage, when the user powers up the device, thedevice performs getProfileOptions to check available eSIM options. As aneSIM is already pre-personalized, the response would include a validbatch descriptor and the device no longer needs to callpersonalizeProfile. It would use information in the descriptor todirectly retrieve the eSIM via getProfile request.

eSIM Delivery, Batch Delivery

FIG. 11 illustrates one exemplary logical sequence for delivering alarge number (batch) of eSIMs e.g., between two entities. In oneembodiment, the client broker and server broker are secure entitieswhich have a secure communication via e.g., Virtual Private Network(VPN). “Batching” is supported such that a client may place an order fora large quantity of eSIMs.

In this scenario, when the profile agent receives a request topersonalize profiles, the profiles do not need to be personalized if thebatch descriptor is returned; rather, the client may request actualprofiles at a later stage as desired. In batch descriptor operation, thehash of profile content is calculated over the encrypted profile(wrapped with a symmetric key) and profile metadata, neither of whichrequires profile to be personalized. This also does not require L1 tostore the symmetric key per eUICC, which would otherwise burden L1 withadditional storage requirement that is difficult to meet. In oneembodiment, the encrypted eSIM (wrapped with a symmetric key) can bestored off-storage. The symmetric key would be wrapped with a L1 RFS(remote file system) key and the wrapped key may be saved in off-storagetogether with the encrypted eSIM.

eSIM Export

Finally, once an eSIM is stored to a client device, the user may chooseto export an eSIM off the device and later import the eSIM to the sameor a different device. One objective is to support eSIM swap. Anotherobjective is to free up eUICC memory to store additional eSIMs. Whenexporting, there are three possible scenarios: (i) exporting to a cloud,(ii) exporting to an AP (for off-board storage), and (iii)device-to-device eSIM transfer. Similarly, the user may import from acloud, AP, or another device.

During eSIM installation, user account information is associated to theeSIM (unless the user opts out). The account information includessufficient information for L3 authentication. For example, it mayinclude a principal (e.g. x2z@yahoo.com) and the associated serviceprovider for authentication. If no account information is associatedwith the eSIM, the user may export the eSIM with other authenticationmethods. One such embodiment, includes a physical button that issecurely connected to eUICC to prove physical possession of the device.In another embodiment, each eSIM includes a unique password, the usermust have the password to prove their ownership. Using OEM credentialsis yet another option.

When the user exports an eSIM, the AP retrieves a list of installedprofiles from eUICC; for each profile, eUICC also returns the associatedprincipal and a nonce generated for anti-replay. When the user choosesto export a profile, the AP uses information contained in the principalto obtain a single sign-on (SSO) token from the service provider, wherethe user would be prompted to enter username and password for thepurpose. The SSO token is passed together with principal and nonce tothe server broker in export request. The server broker can process theauthentication with the service provider, using the SSO token suppliedby the device. Once authentication passes, the flow mirrors eSIMdelivery to the device, except that the client and server roles arereversed. At a high level, the server broker initiates a session withthe eUICC, creates a request BLOB for the export. In the request, itincludes the nonce that the eUICC generated, to indicate that theoperation has passed L3 authentication. The eUICC verifies the requestBLOB, encrypts the eSIM with the server agent's public key, creates abatch descriptor and L3 owner information for the eSIM. The eSIMtogether with L3 and L2 information can be sent to the server.

Once eUICC encrypts the eSIM for export, the eUICC gives up ownership ofthe eSIM and no longer uses the eSIM or exports the eSIM to any otherentities. In some eases, the eUICC may save the encrypted copy to helprecovery from connection loss (i.e., if the encrypted eSIM never reachedthe server). Alternatively, the AP may save a copy of the encrypted eSIMfor retransmission in the event of a connection failure. Servers mayreturn acknowledgements which triggers the AP to clean up the storedcopy.

In some embodiments, export can also be initiated from a web portal. Ifthe user loses his device, he may use a web portal to export eSIMs fromhis device. In this case, the web portal would communicate with thedevice to initiate export operation. The flow is similar except that theuser would use web portal instead of AP to obtain the SSO token forownership verification.

Apparatus

Various apparatus useful in conjunction with the above described methodsare now described in greater detail.

eUICC Appliance

FIG. 12 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a eUICC appliance 1200in accordance with the present disclosure. The eUICC appliance maycomprise a stand-alone entity, or be incorporated with other networkentities such as e.g., servers. As shown, the eUICC appliance 1200generally includes a network interface 1202 for interfacing with thecommunications network, a processor 1204, and one or more storageapparatus 1206. The network interface is shown connecting to the MNOinfrastructure, so as to provide access to other eUICC appliances, anddirect or indirect access to one or more mobile devices, although otherconfigurations and functionalities may be substituted.

In one configuration, the eUICC appliance is capable of: (i)establishing communications with another eUICC (either a eUICC applianceor client device), (ii) securely storing an eSIM, (iii) retrieving asecurely stored eSIM, (iv) encrypting an eSIM for delivery to anotherspecific eUICC, and (v) sending multiple eSIMs to/from an eSIM depot.

eSIM Depot

FIG. 13 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of an eSIM depot 1300 inaccordance with the present disclosure. The eSIM depot 1300 may beimplemented as a stand-alone entity, or be incorporated with othernetwork entities (e.g., an eUICC appliance 1200, etc.). As shown, theeSIM depot 1300 generally includes a network interface 1302 forinterfacing with the communications network, a processor 1304, and astorage apparatus 1306.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG, 1300, the eSIM depot 304 iscapable of: (i) inventory management of eSIMs (e.g., via associatedmetadata), (ii) responding to requests for encrypted eSIMs (e.g., fromother eSIM depots, and/or eUICC appliances 1200), (iii) managingsubscriber requests for eSIMs. For example, when an eSIM is stored at aneSIM depot 1300 by a user, the eSIM may be stored with an intendeddestination (e.g., to facilitate transfer to another device), or parkedindefinitely. In either case, the eSIM depot can provide the eSIM to theeUICC appliance for secure storage and for subsequent encryption for thedestination device.

User Apparatus

Referring now to FIG. 14, exemplary user apparatus 1400 in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

The exemplary UE apparatus of FIG. 14 is a wireless device with aprocessor subsystem 1402 such as a digital signal processor,microprocessor, field-programmable gate array, or plurality ofprocessing components mounted on one or more substrates. The processingsubsystem may also comprise an internal cache memory. The processingsubsystem is in communication with a memory subsystem 1404 includingmemory which may for example, comprise SRAM, flash, and/or SDRAMcomponents. The memory subsystem may implement one or a more of DMA typehardware, so as to facilitate data accesses as is well known in the art.The memory subsystem contains computer-executable instructions which areexecutable by the processor subsystem.

In one exemplary embodiment, the device includes one or more wirelessinterfaces 1406 adapted to connect to one or more wireless networks. Themultiple wireless interfaces may support different radio technologiessuch as GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE/LTE-A, WiMAX, WLAN, Bluetooth, etc. byimplementing the appropriate antenna and modem subsystems of the typewell known in the wireless arts.

The user interface subsystem 1408 includes any number of well-known 110including, without limitation: a keypad, touch screen (e.g., multi-touchinterface), LCD display, backlight, speaker, and/or microphone. However,it is recognized that in certain applications, one or more of thesecomponents may be obviated. For example, PCMCIA card-type clientembodiments may lack a user interface (as they could piggyback onto theuser interface of the host device to which they are physically and/orelectrically coupled).

In the illustrated embodiment, the device includes a secure element 1410which contains and operates the eUICC application. The eUICC is capableof storing and accessing a plurality of access control clients to beused for authentication with a network operator.

The secure element includes a secure processor executing software storedin a secure media. The secure media is inaccessible to all othercomponents (other than the secure processor). Moreover, the exemplarysecure element may be further hardened to prevent tampering (e.g.,encased in resin) as previously described. The exemplary secure element1410 is capable of receiving and storing one or more access controlclients. In one embodiment, the secure element stores an array orplurality of eSIMs associated with a user (e.g., one for work, one forpersonal, several for roaming access, etc.), and/or according to anotherlogical scheme or relationship (e.g., one for each of multiple membersof a family or business entity, one for each of personal and work usefor the members of the family, and so forth). Each eSIM includes a smallfile system including computer readable instructions (the eSIM program),and associated data (e.g., cipher keys, integrity keys, etc.)

The secure element is further adapted to enable transfer of eSIMs toand/or from the mobile device. In one implementation, the mobile deviceprovides a GUI-based acknowledgement to initiate transfer of an eSIM.

Once the user of the mobile device opts to activate an eSIM, the mobiledevice sends a request for activation to an activation service. Themobile device can use the eSIM for standard Authentication and KeyAgreement (AKA) exchanges.

Methods

Various methods useful in conjunction with the above described methodsare now described in greater detail.

FIG. 15 illustrates one embodiment of a method for large scaledistribution of electronic access control clients.

At step 1502, a first device establishes ownership of one or moreelectronic access control clients.

At step 1504, the first device determines if one or more electronicaccess control clients have not been previously duplicated.

At step 1506, the first device encrypts the one or more electronicaccess control clients for transfer to the second device.

At step 1508, the first device and second device exchange or transferthe encrypted one or more electronic access control clients.

Myriad other schemes for large scale distribution of electronic accesscontrol clients will be recognized by those of ordinary skill given thepresent disclosure.

It will be recognized that while certain aspects of the disclosure aredescribed in terms of a specific sequence of steps of a method, thesedescriptions are only illustrative of the broader methods of thedisclosure, and may be modified as required by the particularapplication. Certain steps may be rendered unnecessary or optional undercertain circumstances. Additionally, certain steps or functionality maybe added to the disclosed embodiments, or the order of performance oftwo or more steps permuted. All such variations are considered to beencompassed within the disclosure disclosed and claimed herein.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features of the disclosure as applied to various embodiments,it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changesin the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. Theforegoing description is of the best mode presently contemplated ofcarrying out the disclosure. This description is in no way meant to belimiting, but rather should be taken as illustrative of the generalprinciples of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure should bedetermined with reference to the claims

What is claimed is:
 1. User mobile apparatus, comprising: a wirelessinterface configured to communicate with a wireless network; a processorin data communication with the interface; a secure element in datacommunication with the interface, the secure element comprising: asecure processor; secure storage in data communication with the secureprocessor and having a plurality of access control clients useful forauthentication with at least the network stored thereon; and logic indata communication with the secure processor, the logic configured tostore, access, and transfer to or from the apparatus the plurality ofaccess control clients; and user interface logic in communication withat least the secure element and configured to enable a user of theapparatus to select one of the stored plurality access control clients,and authenticate the apparatus to the network so as to enablecommunication therewith.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the securestorage is inaccessible to all components of the apparatus other thanthe secure processor.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the secureelement is configured to receive and store the one or more accesscontrol clients as different electronic subscriber identity modules(eSIMs) associated with a common user, each of the different eSIMscomprising a different user context.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein each access control client comprises a limited capability filesystem including computer readable instructions and associatedcryptographic data.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein secure elementcomprises a limited capability file system including computer readableinstructions, and each access control client comprises uniquecryptographic data specific to that control client.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein secure element further comprises logic configured tocause the apparatus to send a request for activation to an activationservice of the network.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein secureelement further comprises logic configured to enable communication bythe apparatus with a plurality of electronic access control clientbroker entities that are each part of a network of brokers andmanufacturers, the communication enabling the apparatus to obtain one ormore encrypted access control clients.
 8. A method for distribution ofmultiple electronic access control clients for use on mobile wirelessdevices, the method comprising: establishing ownership of one or moreelectronic access control clients; determining if one or more electronicaccess control clients have not been previously duplicated; when notpreviously duplicated, encrypting the one or more electronic accesscontrol clients for transfer to one of the mobile wireless devices; andexchanging the encrypted one or more electronic access control clients.9. The method of claim 8, wherein the establishing ownership comprisesevaluating an level 3 (L3) security certificate.
 10. The method of claim8, wherein the determining of previous duplication comprises evaluationor a response to a challenge question or prompt issued by an ElectronicUniversal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC).
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the encrypting comprises encrypting using a key specific to theeUICC.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the exchanging the encryptedone or more electronic access control clients comprises exchanging theencrypted one or more clients for one or more clients disposed on theone mobile wireless device.
 13. Apparatus for large-scale distributionof electronic access control clients, comprising: a processor; and anon-transitory computer-readable medium in data communication with theprocessor and that includes instructions which when executed by theprocessor, cause the apparatus to: establish ownership of one or moreelectronic access control clients; determine if one or more electronicaccess control clients have not been previously duplicated; when noprevious duplication has been determined, encrypt the one or moreelectronic access control clients for transfer to a second device; andtransfer the encrypted one or more electronic access control clients tothe second device.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatuscomprises a networked server accessible by a plurality of similarapparatus, the apparatus in communication with a plurality of usermobile devices via a wireless network.
 15. A network architecture forproviding wireless mobile devices with electronic access clients, thearchitecture comprising: a plurality of brokers; and a plurality ofmanufacturers in data communication with the plurality of brokers; ,wherein a given user mobile device may be serviced by multiple ones ofthe brokers; and wherein any one of the brokers may order electronicaccess clients from one or more of the manufacturers.
 16. Thearchitecture of claim 15, wherein the plurality of brokers comprises aprimary broker that provides at least discovery services to mobiledevices, such that a mobile device can identify an appropriate brokerbefore communicating therewith.
 17. Apparatus for providing electronicaccess clients to one or more mobile devices, the apparatus comprising:at least one processor: and first logic in data communication with theat least one processor, the first logic configured to cause theapparatus to perform encryption and decryption of an access client;second logic in data communication with the at least one processor, thesecond logic configured to cause the apparatus to ensure that the accessclient is not duplicated; and third logic in data communication with theat least one processor, the third logic configured to cause theapparatus to establish at least one of trust, ownership, and/orverification of a user of the access client.
 18. The apparatus of claim17, wherein the first logic comprises logic within an ElectronicUniversal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) or Hardware Security Module(HSM). Within L1.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the secondlogic is configured to embed a challenge into an encrypted payloadencrypted by the first logic.
 20. An electronic access control clientrevocation procedure, comprising: determining if a signing certificateauthority that issued a certificate is compromised, the certificateassociated with one or more devices storing the certificate; determiningat the one or more devices a certificate service request created when aninitial request for the certificate was created; requesting a newcertificate using the determined certificate service request; andissuing a new certificate based on the requesting; wherein the one ormore devices can use a previous used private key as part of therequesting, and the new certificate is issued containing a previouspublic key corresponding to the previous private key.